Anna Fermin's Trigger Gospel is Anna Fermin (top and bottom left)
Paul Bivans, Michael Krayniak and Frank Kvinge (bottom, left to right)
The Philippine-born Anna Fermin immigrated to the U.S. with her family at a young age and found herself growing up in Wisconsin where she was trained in piano, voice and violin. Moving to Chicago in 1989, Fermin added the acoustic guitar to her repertoire, penned her first song in 1994 and immediately started showcasing her songwriting at local open mics and coffee houses where her voice established itself as powerful and emotional instrument all on its own. “She can deliver a husky approximation of Dolly Parton in one breath and shift into deep soul belting in the next.”
Named after an old Western novel, ANNA FERMIN’S Trigger Gospel reflects a spirited sound that intertwines hometown country and rock & roll with “a strong melodic-pop appeal.”
The eclectic influences of her bandmates, which include Paul Bivans on drums & percussion and Michael Krayniak on stand-up bass, have become the right compliment to Fermin’s “simple, slow shuffles and country rockers that smartly place her voice where it belongs - front and center.”
In the six years this Chicago-based band has been together, they’ve shared the stage with an impressive roster of musicians including Johnny Cash, Steve Earle, Joe Ely, Robbie Fulks, Delbert McClinton, Paula Cole, The Jayhawks and many more.
Anna Fermin's "TRIGGER GOSPEL" has garnered the attention and respect of critics and music fans alike, hooking audiences with their eclectic songs and rousing live shows. Their debut disc, Things To Come - produced by Texas pedal-steel player extraordinaire Lloyd Maines - sold over six thousand copies (and still counting), leaving listeners clamoring for more. Now, the long-waited follow-up is here. Released on Undertow Records and produced by Jay Bennett, Oh, The Stories We Hold includes nine new original songs that gracefully and effortlessly combine country with elements of pop and rock, and also includes two stellar covers including the Steve Earle penned "Down The Road" and "Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps," a song made famous by the legendary Doris Day.
Trigger Gospel wraps Fermin's winning country melodies and their memory clinging choruses around her own experiences of love and loss...Fermin's cracker-jack band...has chops and finesse to spare...the main attraction is Fermin's one in a million voice which can be as big as a house or as intimate as a bedroom.
Pure, expressive, supple and vibrant, with an engaging combination of vulnerability and forthrightness, Fermin sings better than any of the country divas I've heard.
The one question asked by almost everyone of what Fil-Am band/musician that I thought was the best or that I enjoyed the most? Turns out that this was an easy question this year. Now, I heard lots of talent, but there was certainly one stand out: Anna Fermin's Trigger Gospel.